In a report by Agence France Presse cited in this feature, "a Malaysian passenger liner flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur has crashed in insurgency-wracked east Ukraine, regional officials said Thursday, as Ukraine's president said the jet may have been shot down."

News reports cite that the crash of MH-17 is the second tragedy for Malaysia Airlines this year, following the mysterious loss of flight MH-370 in March. It was carrying 239 passengers and crew on board on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

According to Rappler.com, "Malaysia Airlines, carrier of the ill-fated flight, immediately made their presence felt by tweeting this update: "Malaysia Airlines has lost contact of MH17 from Amsterdam. The last known position was over Ukrainian airspace. More details to follow."